Game of Thieves
by girlovesmoosey
Summary: Three self proclaimed "bad boys" from the 2300's decide to steal the world's first virtual reality devices that are designed to take the player into any game they wish. Soon, bad things start to happen and it's up to the trio to realize their mistake and go back home...if they can get themselves out of the gaming world. T for mild swearing and blood.
1. The beginning

The date was May 12, 2352

"Put your hands up! You are under arrest!"

I held my green and white backpack close to me. I backed away and was covered in the red dots of the guns that pointed at me. It was slightly later than midnight and ominous shadows seemed to cast over my surroundings.

I quickly turned and hopped over the wall behind me. I instantly heard the barking of dogs and firing of weapons. I just couldn't believe my friends had left me to take the blame. They had suddenly fled from my side, leaving no traces behind.

I wasn't going to jail.

I was born a very fast runner so the police had lost sight of me, but not for long. I climbed a nearby tree and held onto the branches for dear life. The air was stale and I could hardly breathe. I looked around and noticed I had found my way into a graveyard. Tombstones were scattered about the land as I heard the chains of German Shepherds. I held my breath as they walked right by me.

I sat completely still.

Nearly an hour later, a rock hit my head with an excruciating amount of force.

"Psst, Scott! They're gone!" a familiar voice whispered.

I hopped down from the tree, obtaining a few splinters as I did so. Standing before me was my friend Xavier. Now, Xavier was a man of wisdom. He was 23 and his family had nearly raised me. He was unemployed but he had a lot of potential. He was born in Japan (and Xavier wasn't even his real name) and raised in the United States. He dyed his hair bright red and always had it swept to one side. He wore a green and black vest and dark blue jeans. He had a squarish pair of glasses on his face.

"Xavier, where's Josh?" I questioned. Josh was the tough one of the three of us so it was odd for him to be missing.

"I don't know," Xavier replied with a shrug. "I haven't seen him in the past hour or so."

"Okay. Do you have it?"

Xavier's eyes widened.

"I thought _you_ had it!"

"No, I gave it to you! Xavier, you lost a twenty thousand dollar-"

"No, no, don't say that! It has to be around here somewhere! Just...start looking. Maybe we dropped it!"

I got onto my knees and began to search through the dry, moist grass. I couldn't help but feel we were surrounded by death. It was a graveyard, after all.

I felt my eyes water.

"It's gone," I sighed. "We lost them."

"Looking for something, bros?"

Xavier and I instantly turned to see Josh. Josh was your typical bad boy. He lied, cheated, stole, and did drugs. He was a 26-year old with blonde hair and he wore a blue thief bandana over it. He often carried a gun or weapon of some sort and wore a denim vest, a white shirt, and jeans. He smiled and handed us a box. But it was the contents of the box that were worth so much.

You see, Josh, Xavier and I had something in common. We were gamers. We considered ourselves to be "elite gamers" at that. Nearly a year ago, a project called the "Virchips" was done. The virchips were small devices that would install gaming software into your brain. They say it can teleport you to any video game of your choice. But at the time, it only worked on old games because they had much simpler programming than the modern games. Since they were only prototypes and still under development, they were never released to the public. They were placed in the "Universal Gaming Museum". Even though I was only 18, my friends and I had the balls to steal it.

"My god, Josh! Where have you been?" Xavier asked.

"Evading the cops! What did you think?"

"Okay, you guys have the virchips and I have the disk. Let's go!" I exclaimed. We hurried into Xavier's car and got onto the freeway to go home.

"Josh, Scott, I think this was a bad idea," Xavier said shakily.

"You're such a wuss, man! Ain't nothin's gonna stop us now!" Josh chuckled. "Besides, the cops can't get us if we're bendin' laws of reality!"

"Yeah, dude. I know where you're coming from but live a little!" I added. "Virtual reality gaming was just a dream until now!"

We parked in the lot of my Dad's house and rushed into the basement where my nine-year-old sister kimi was reading a book and sitting on my rugged white sofa. The basement smelled of cigarettes and everything else we smoked in there. Kimi had unbelievably curly brown hair that was tied into pigtails and blue eyes that matched mine and our mother's. She was wearing her blue nightgown. She looked up from her colorful book and beamed as she saw me.

"Big brother!" she cried, running up and hugging my legs. "I missed you!"

"That's nice, kiddo," I said, messing up her hair playfully. "I missed you too."

Xavier ran over to our Xbox 3000 Deluxe and inserted what appeared to be a blank disk. He took three of the seven virchips, synched them to the system and handed one to Josh and me.

"They go in the back of your neck. It might bleed a little but it only takes a few seconds to install," he said simply.

"Wait, guys, can't I go too?" Kimi pleaded. She knew all about the virchips and also wanted to use them.

"Sorry, kid. This is for the grown ups. But we'll be back," Josh said.

"Yeah. We have left over macaroni and salad in the fridge. There's twenty bucks in my drawer if you want pizza. We'll be back soon though so don't worry," I smiled, cupping her freckled face in my hands. She nodded and looked down.

The three of us put the chips into our necks and slowly drifted from consciousness as information was downloaded into our subconscious minds.

As I opened my eyes, a colorful and bright world surrounded me. Around me were giant blocks and walking mushrooms. I saw a shadow and lifted my head expecting to see one of my friends. Instead I saw a man in a red shirt and hat with overalls with a big smile.

"ITSA ME, MARIO!"


	2. Mario

"Who are you?" I cried, jumping back. "D-did it work?"

"I'm Mario!" the man exclaimed yet again, folding his burly arms. "I'm going to save-a the princess. Who are you?"

"I-I'm Scott," I replied, ruffling my light brown hair. "Have you seen my friends? One is really tall with blonde hair and the other one-"

"I haven't seen anyone around here. Are you from around, a-Scott?"

"No, I'm from Earth. I'm testing out virtual reality gaming and from the looks of it, it worked!" I smiled, standing up. I had never seen or played this game in my life but it was a video game after all.

"Well, I need to get-a going. My timer's ticking and I only have six lives left," Mario stated. "If you-a want, you can come with me."

"Hell yeah!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands into the air. Mario and I began to run side-by-side killing walking mushrooms and using power up blocks along the way. After a few minutes, we pulled down a huge flag and placed one of a mushroom in its place. Mario shook my hand.

"You're a natural," he smiled.

"Scott!" cried a voice. I looked behind us and spotted Josh and Xavier. Josh had his arms around a woman with curly brown hair and a long orange dress.

"Guys! Where have you been?"

"Dude, I spawned in some place called Sarasaland and picked up this chick!" Josh announced, putting his arm around her waist. "Guys, this is Daisy."

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe we're going to have to beat this entire game before moving on," Xavier said simply.

"I've never played this game in my life though," Josh sighed.

"It's easy," I replied. "Just run through the level and pull down the flag at the end. It's kind of fun!"

Mario nodded.

"And then you save Princess Peach!"

"Princess Peach?" Josh asked. "Is she, like, hotter than Daisy?"

"Oh, Peach..." Mario seemed to be in a trance. He smiled and tears filled his eyes. "She is the most-a beautiful woman in the whole Mushroom Kingdom. She has the longest blonde hair and the most amazing blue eyes."

"Awesome," Josh grinned, letting Daisy go. Daisy folded her arms and shamefully walked away.

"Well, Bowser's a-castle is nearby. It is-a the last level. You guys are-a lucky to have spawned here," Mario stated.

We all looked up and saw a massive dark castle.

"How did I miss that?" Xavier mumbled. We all turned and began to run again. We killed a few small enemies and made it into the castle. The castle had torches lit all around. You could hear dark, ominous music and see broiling hot lava all around. I gulped and took a step back. Josh punched my arm.

"Aw, don't cower out now. There's a sexy princess waiting to be rescued, remember?"

I began to tremble and shiver. I took a deep breath, stood straight and began to run again. I don't understand how Mario could run so much- it was tiring.

After dodging numerous spiked balls, killing turtle skeletons, and jumping over lava pits, we found ourselves standing before a large red and black metal door.

"Damn, who built this place?" Josh snorted.

"A-Bowser did," Mario replied. "And he is just-a behind that door."

"Why are you so friendly?" I questioned, cocking a brow at Mario.

"Well, this is-a not the first time I've had visitors from other-a dimensions." (A/N: wink wink, AHEM "Who am I?")

Mario opened the door and there was a long hallway. We slowly walked through, our footsteps echoing through the room. At the end of the hallway, we stood still. We couldn't believe our eyes.

Before us stood a monster. He looked like a turtle but he had spikes on his back and bright red hair. I shook with fear. I was sure I would faint before I could even get near him. Above him was a large cage with the princess Mario had described.

"Mario!" he growled.

"Bowser!" Mario cried back.

"I see you've brought friends," Bowser chuckled, folding his bulky arms. "How cute."

"Let the princess free!"

Bowser laughed.

"If you want your precious princess, you're going to have to fight me!"

He clenched his fist and blew a huge fireball from his mouth which Mario dodged. So did Josh and Xavier.

The ball of fire, instead, hit me. I wailed in pain before falling to the ground.

"No!" Xavier cried, rushing to me. I began to close my eyes but I don't believe he was aware that I could still hear him. "Scott! Get up! Please!"

Josh came over and kicked me in the stomach.

"Get up, pussy!"

"Please," Xavier whispered, sitting on his knees and petting my hair.

My body vanished into thin air. Xavier stood up and faced Bowser with teary eyes.

"Xavier, don't," Josh sighed. Xavier's hands balled into fists. "Don't..."

Xavier punched Bowser hard in the stomach. Bowser groaned a little but began to laugh.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me!"

Mario quickly ran between Bowser's legs and jumped on the button behind him. The platform Bowser stood on vanished and my body reformed itself. I spawned next to everyone else as Bowser fell into a pit of hot lava, screaming as his body disintegrated. Mario threw his arms up as the Princess's cage fell apart and she gracefully floated down. She kissed all of us on the cheek. When she reached Josh, he grabbed her by the face and began to make out with her. Peach pulled away, blushed, and we all began to drift into unconsciousness yet again.


	3. Metal Gear Solid PT 1

When I woke up, I was freezing cold. I couldn't feel my arms or legs very well. Luckily, I woke up beside Xavier and Josh this time.

"Guys," I sighed. "I'm getting tired. Can we continue this game tomorrow?"

"No, after this game, we'll leave!" Josh protested, holding his arms together to keep himself warm. "Besides, I want to know what game we're in now!"

We looked around. The graphics in this game were low quality. There was snow everywhere.

"These games are pretty realistic," Xavier stated. "I mean, it's just so real. Even if the graphics are bad, it still feels hyper-realistic."

"Hey, we can ask that guy to assist us. He looks reliable!" I grinned, pointing at a man in dark attire who was hiding behind a stack of boxes. "Hey, you!"

He pulled out a gun and slowly inched forward, analyzing us and looking around as he did so.

"Who are you? You don't look like them!" he said in a grim voice as Xavier and I put our hands up.

Josh took a small pistol from his vest and pointed it back at the man.

"I'm Josh and these are my two friends. What's it to ya? I ain't afraid of your sissy socom!"

"If you know what's best for you, you'll put that gun down. If not, I'll send you right back to hell!" he hissed. "Are you working with the terrorists?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Josh replied. "What game is this by the way?"

"Game? This isn't a game, you fool! This is Shadow Moses Island. You're in Alaska. Any more stupid questions you wanna ask?"

"Don't push my buttons, old man!"

"Look," I interrupted. The man pointed his gun at me. I swallowed hard and continued. "We mean you no harm. We just need to beat this game so we can go home and go to bed."

"What do you mean game? I'm on a mission here!" he snapped back. "If you're asking me if you kids can join, then you'd better leave. Besides, it's dangerous around here. For one, this area is filled with mines."

"Hey, wait," Xavier said. "I've heard about this game on the internet. There are only three working copies left! It's called...uh...Metal Gear Solid! Yeah, that's it! This game is like, three hundred years old. No joke. You must be Solid Snake. I don't know much about this game but they say it was a hit a few centuries ago. Hey, maybe our ancestors played it."

"Kid, I don't know how you know my name but leave me alone before I kill you," Snake said, not removing his gun.

"Hey, nobody threatens my friends but me!" Josh growled, stepping in front of Xavier. Snake shot Josh in the leg and in his lower abdomen, causing him to whelp in pain and fall to the ground.

"Go home. This is no place for kids." Snake said, putting on thermal goggles and carefully stepping around the snow. Soon, we could no longer see him.

"God...this hurts so bad!" Josh cried, holding his leg. I took Josh's knife from his pocket, lifted part of his jeans and began to remove the bullets. I took off my shirt and wrapped it over one of his wounds.

"I don't understand," Xavier said. "How can he feel pain in virtual reality? I had no idea that this was possible..."

"Come on, guys. We need to go home now. We're not beating this one. I have no shirt and Josh just got shot. We can order from 24 Hour Pizza and call it a night," I sighed.

"Y-you're right," Xavier responded. "Okay, guys. Take the V-chips off. We're going home."

We all felt the back of our necks for our Virchips.

"Guys, I feel mine but it's...it's imbedded into my skin!" Josh shouted.

"Mine too," I said. Xavier nodded in agreement.

"Alright, guys...this may sound odd but stay with me...," he said shakily. "We are going to have to use Josh's pocket knife to preform surgery on each other. We have to get home no matter what it takes. Snake said there are mines around here and Josh is already hurt. I don't know how many lives we have in this game but there is no promise that we will come back if we die."

Xavier took the knife and moved towards me.

"Aw hell no, man!" I exclaimed. "You can't even cut tomatoes correctly! You're not putting that anywhere near me, dude!"

"Please, Scott! I'm scared! You could get hypothermia and Josh needs proper medical care."

"No, Xavier, no! This game probably has some form of health anyway!"

"No, Scott, just let him do it..." Josh mumbled. "I've had enough of this."

I sighed as anxiety began to build inside of me.

"Okay," I finally said. "But make it quick, Xavier. We don't have painkillers, remember?"

Xavier nodded and I turned around. He slowly brought the knife to my skin and pierced it deeply. I cringed in pain as I felt blood drip down my back. He made another deep cut and then another.

"Just...hold still. It's almost out," Xavier said, making another cut followed by several more.

Tears of manliness ran down my cheeks as the blade went in and out of my cold, bare flesh.

"Hurry, dude!"

"There," he said, finally throwing the bloody chip to the ground. "You should return to the real world in three...two..."

Nothing happened.

"Xavier, why isn't anything happening?" I asked as I began to hyperventilate. I moved away about ten feet before vomiting into the snow multiple times. I felt the blood still running down my back.

"O-okay, I don't know why that didn't work but we can fix this!" Xavier said with a week smile. With those words, I took a few steps before passing out right next to where Josh sat.


	4. MGS: Psycho Mantis

Upon regaining consciousness, I realized Xavier was holding me and walking. We were in a building of some sort and I knew we had moved far. Xavier's green vest was wrapped around my neck and Josh was limping alongside him.

"So, Josh, anyway," Xavier said, not realizing yet that I was awake. "I believe even if the main characters beat the boss, the bosses still return for us to beat them too. It would only make sense, right? I mean, we have to beat the game in the main character's place even though he's here."

"Yeah, I guess," he replied, holding the wound in his abdomen. It was bleeding a lot less but like my wound, the bleeding had not yet stopped.

"Where are we?" I moaned.

"Beats me," Josh replied. "But you missed it! I killed these guys wearing white with my bare hands! I think we're playin' on easy mode!"

"Finally, you're awake!" Xavier grinned, putting me down to my feet. "You had us worried."

We reached the end of the hall and opened the door. We suddenly began to hear faint music. It was a slow, eerie hymn.

Our feet loudly tapped on the floor which seemed to be freshly waxed. When we got to the end of the hall, Josh froze, holding his head in pain.

"GAH!" he cried. He stood there for a few seconds.

"Are you alright?" Xavier asked frantically. "Is something wrong?"

"I...no...I'm fine," he replied. His voice suddenly had a strange, metallic undertone to it. We continued walking and opened yet another door. Before us was a creepy room. There were tables and chairs. It looked extremely old. It appeared to be from around the twentieth century.

Josh stood up on one of the tables and pointed his gun at us.

"Wha-"

"Josh, cut it out! Put your gun down and let's go!" I complained.

"Scott, Scott..." he said with a grin, getting off of the table and caressing my cheek. I quickly backed away. "You're so cute when you act this way."

"Josh, stop!" Xavier cried.

Josh pointed his gun at Xavier and shot him in the foot. Xavier gasped and began to quiver.

"Stop that, you douche!" I yelled. "It isn't funny!"

"What's wrong? Did I hurt your boyfriend, Scott?"

I clenched my hands into fists and punched Josh in the face twice with all of my strength.

Blood dripped from his mouth but he continued to smile.

"How adorable. As much as I enjoyed being around you, I think I'd have more fun watching you die a virgin."

He fired his gun at my arm and laughed as tears fell down my cheeks. I twitched a few times before I felt the adrenaline kick in. I kicked him to the ground and he hit his head on the floor. I punched his skull and kicked him in the stomach. His eyes closed and I began to back away.

"Josh..." I said, very confused about what had just happened.

"He was useless anyway," I heard a muffled voice say. I looked to my side and then I saw it. A man wearing a black mask and suit, floating in midair. I was sure I was hallucinating.

"Who are you?" Xavier asked.

"I...am Psycho Mantis!" he announced proudly. "I can read your every thoughts. I know everything about you."

"Alright, what am I thinking of?" I grinned.

"Robotic German alpacas," he said simply.

"You're good..." I gasped.

"Hmm, So, Scott, is it? Before I kill you, I'd like to read your past."

"Alright, knock yourself out," I snorted.

"You...your mother died when she was very young, did she not? You were left to take care of your sister, Kimi. Your father was rarely there for you because of his drug and alcohol abuse. I can safely say you were a parental figure to Kimi, correct? I see you care a lot about your sister and your friends. You've known Xavier and Josh for a long time, no? And your sister...you love her more than anything. But you have no job. You're a reckless young man. You lie and steal from others. I think you're stuck in this place because you need to learn a lesson."

"Humph," I said. "Do Xavier's now!"

"Very well," Mantis sighed. "Xavier...you're very caring of your friends. You come from a middle class family of six. You are the youngest among your siblings but it seems they did not set a good example for you, huh? You try your best to be a good friend because of your past mistakes. Maybe you shouldn't sleep with Josh's girlfriend or steal from people that are close to you. You don't have much confidence though and you, too are reckless. And that secret of yours...I'll keep it safe."

"Um...thanks?"

"Now..." Mantis hissed. "Prepare to see your death!"

He levitated a chair and a bookcase and threw it across the room, hitting Xavier with the chair in the process.

"AH!" Xavier cried, holding his head in pain.

I picked up Josh's gun and pointed it at Mantis. I began to shoot but he dodged every bullet.

"Did you forget I can read your minds, child?"

He picked up a chair and threw it towards me. I tossed the gun to Xavier and he began to shoot Psycho Mantis as I dodged the chair. Many of the bullets struck him. He cried in pain.

"Fine, have it your way. Josh, let them watch as you gut yourself."

Josh stood up, knife in hand. He stabbed his own stomach, pulled the weapon out and did so again.

"No, Josh!" Xavier cried, limping over and twisting Josh's arm, making him release the knife. Xavier took a nearby chair and struck him in the head with it, making him fall unconscious yet again.

Xavier handed me the knife and I held it close to me as Xavier shot at Mantis but to no avail. Mantis levitated the largest bookcase in the room, held it high, and just before he could fling it across the room at Xavier, I sneaked behind him and stabbed him hard in the back before pulling the knife out. He fell to the ground and a puddle of blood began to form under him.

"I should have known..." he coughed. "I can't read more than one mind at once. I seemed to have overestimated myself."

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Josh growled, standing and going over to Mantis. He kicked him in the stomach with his remaining strength.

"Well..." he replied slowly. "I think you three should know that you're not going to have each other for much longer. Make it last."

With those words, his eyes closed. The room fell silent. (Maybe because everyone in it was either badly injured or dead!)

"Well, let's move on..." Xavier sighed. "We wouldn't want to stay in this game longer than we have to, hm?"

**Omnom nom. I love reviews. **


	5. MGS- Kimi

I wasn't quite sure how many days we had been away from home but we were all in bad shape. We couldn't find food, had very little water, and we could hardly walk. We had progressed far into the game but were in no shape to fight or defend ourselves very well.

"Hey guys," Xavier mumbled. "You remember what Psycho Mantis said? Y-you know, about us not being together much longer?"

"What of it?" Josh questioned. "If ya ask me, I call BS. We've been friends since we were young. Who does that dude think he is to say that stuff?"

"Well...he really has psychokinetic powers. He read our minds. So he obviously knew something that was coming ahead that we don't," Xavier sighed.

"I think it's best not to think about it," I said simply. "Maybe it was nothing."

"Okay, well I think we're more than halfway done with this game, hm?" Xavier added. We continued to walk through the snow, standing moderately close to each other for warmth.

"You guys look horrible!" A familiar voice squealed. I turned to see my kid sister Kimi. I quickly picked her up and hugged her.

"Kimi!" I said, putting her down. "Why are you here?"

"You guys have been gone for a whole week. I was scared so I followed you guys. I've been looking for you guys for two days and I beat two games already. Why don't I know any of these games?"

"The Virchips are only compatible with old games because they don't take much space. And by old...I mean, hundreds of years old," Xavier replied. "Wait...did you say a week?"

"Well, why haven't you guys come home? Are these games _that_ fun to you?" the small girl questioned. "I haven't eaten in days and I missed you guys."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but we're stuck here," I sighed.

"Then take off your chips," she said simply. I turned and lifted up the back of my hair to show the large wound on my neck from where the chip was.

"We tried. And then THIS happened," I said, glaring a bit at Xavier.

"Ouch," she said. "Well, anyway, Daddy's mad at you. He came home last night and said if you're not back soon to take care of the house, he's gonna throw your Xbox 3000 Deluxe out the window."

"WHAT? I cried. "_We're_ in the Xbox! That'll kill us for sure!"

"I-it will?" she whispered meekly. Tears filled her eyes as she wrapped her small arms around my legs.

"No," Xavier sighed. "No one's gonna die. We're going to get out of here!"

"Wait..." Kimi said, wiping her eyes. "Before I came here, I read something in the manual about quitting a game..."

"You can quit?" Josh exclaimed. "HOW?"

"L-let me think..." she said, looking up in thought. "Oh. Yeah! You need to find the main character and tell them to press 'start' six times. The characters are completely self-aware and according to the manual, they can press buttons mentally. Their brains have a completely different make-up than ours. Almost like they're not human."  
"Snake's long gone," Josh moaned, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. "Looks like we've either gotta act fast or just finish the game."

"I also read that we each get three lives. If we lose all three, well, we either die or cease to exist because this is reality now. Did you guys read the manual at all?"

We shook our heads.

"I already lost one," I said. "But everyone else still has three."

"N-not exactly," Kimi sighed. "I lost two back in Mario. I only have one left."

"Kimi!" I cried. "You need to be more careful! I told you not to follow us into the game! If I lose you-"

"I'm not gonna die, Scott!" she insisted. "I nearly have full health and I'm in far better shape than you guys."

"Scott's right, kid," Josh said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "If you die, there's no coming back. There is no respawn or continue."

"I know, I know. It says in the manual that this world is strictly for people who want to live among the video game world, not people like us who just wanted to try it out. You can get sick here, you can glitch, and there's always that small chance that..."

"That what?" Xavier asked.

"Well, you see," she continued. "the oldest games had something called a kill screen. You couldn't beat the game, you just move further and further until you lose all of your lives or reach a kill screen, or a glitched level. There's always a chance that we can spawn into one of those games. If we beat this one, we can end up there."

"Well, we're screwed," Josh said, taking his knife and stabbing himself in the heart. "We might as well give up now."

He fell to the ground and disintegrated into thin air.

"Josh, you idiot!" I shouted as he came back. I took his knife from him and put it into my back pocket. "Are you crazy?"

"Look, I didn't sign up for this! I just wanted virtual reality gaming! Not a new reality where you can actually feel pain and die and stuff!" he exclaimed.

"Let's just keep going," Xavier sighed. "We're not going to get anywhere standing here and looking pretty."

We began to walk again, minding our steps for landmines. After many hours, Kimi had fallen asleep in my arms and finally, we had found another building. We walked right inside and after walking through numerous hallways, an alarm went off.

"Damn it, Scott!"

"It wasn't me, Josh!"

We looked up and saw a camera that was pointed right in our direction. Just then, guards ran our way and instantly began firing guns in our direction. We ran as fast as we could until we found (of course) a seemingly endless flight of stairs. We began to run upwards despite the guards coming from all directions.

I held my sister close to me as I followed behind Xavier and Josh. I had received two lovely gunshots in my leg but my adrenaline had already kicked in so I didn't feel it. I was sure we would be safe once we reached the top of the stairs because Josh began to shoot back at them with his gun, successfully killing many of them.

"There," Josh said. "They're dead."

We began to walk again until I began to feel a warm liquid running down my arms. I looked down and found that Kimi had been shot. Not once, not twice, but three times.

"Kimi!" I cried, setting her on the floor and examining her wounds. She had one bullet in her left arm and two in her upper abdomen.

"S-Scott, what happened?" she moaned, looking up at me. "I fell asleep, didn't I?"

I removed the bullets with Josh's knife as Xavier took off his shirt. He applied pressure to the wounds in her abdomen.

"You're going to be alright," Xavier said. "I took a health class a few years ago."

"Xavier, you got a D in that class," Josh scoffed.

"Yeah, but I know how to treat a wound! I need a heat source. The bleeding won't stop."

Kimi held my hand as well as Josh's (Josh had sat down beside her).

I took Josh's knife out.

"Josh, give me your lighter!" I demanded. He did so and I began to heat the bloody knife. After thirty seconds, I handed it to Xavier who pressed the flat side on one of her wounds.

"Ouch! OUCH!" she cried, tears running down her freckled cheeks. "X-Xavier! Stop!"

"Sorry, kiddo, I have to do this," he replied. "If you lose one more life, you won't likely come back."

Moments seemed like forever as Kimi's wounds were tended to. Xavier still worked intently on fixing her injuries.

"Is that it?" Kimi asked shakily, her eyes puffy and red from crying.

"Yup, that's all," Xavier responded. "It's going to hurt for awhile but you should recover with some time."

"Hey, look guys!" I said, looking over to our left. "A ladder!"


	6. Team Fortress 2 PT 1

We proceeded up the convenient ladder and found a small, pitch dark room.

"This sucks! Now what?" Josh moaned.

"There's a door over there," Kimi said, pointing towards the wall.

"Where? I can't see a thing!" Xavier said, fixing his glasses. "How can you see in this darkness?"

"Psycho Mantis," she said simply. "He dove into my mind but let me go when I told him I was your sister, Scott. Now I can see in the dark and I can see where landmines are buried. Anyhow, follow me."

She grabbed my hand and I grabbed Xavier's and he grabbed Josh's. Kimi opened the door and we were led right onto a snowy roof. But we did see someone familiar.

"Snake!" Xavier cried. Snake was holding a large rocket launcher and seemed to be looking for something.

"Hey, I told you kids to beat it!" he growled. "Do you _want_ to die?"

"Hey, it's come to our attention that you can help us quit this game," I said. "Can you press start six times for us?"

"N-not now, kid!" he exclaimed as a helicopter appeared from under the building. "I'm in the middle of something! If I can't take this hind down-"

"We understand, but we need to go home!" Kimi insisted. "Please, sir! I don't like it here! Please! Pleasie please please!"

He fired a small rocket at the hind.

"Nice try, Snake!" came a voice.

"Hey, we need to get out of here. We haven't eaten in days! We've been shot and Josh was possessed by a psychic and I'm just so hungry and tired and-"

"Here's a ration. Now go away before I have you all killed."

Snake handed us a box full of pretzels, a water bottle, and chocolate flavored "Calorie Mate". We all dug in.

"Mister, that only solves one of our problems!" Kimi whined. "I need to go home and feed my hamster, Sprinkles!"

"Just...okay, I'll send you away all right," he moaned. He closed his eyes and we found ourselves drifting from consciousness yet again.

But when we woke, we were not home. We were far from it. We were all suddenly wearing blue clothes.

The smell and sounds of gunfire filled the air.

I sat up and looked around. As did everyone else.

"Is this...a locker room?" Josh asked, lighting a cigarette and putting it into his mouth. "Lame. What game is this?"

"Like I know," Kimi coughed, fanning the smoke around her. "Let's go outside and see."

We all exited the room and there was a war going on around us.

"Hey, who are you bozos?" asked a young man with a headset and blue shirt who held a baseball bat.

"Well, I'm Scott, this is Josh, this is Xavier, and that's my sister Kimi," I said. "Who are you?  
"I'm the Scout, and I'm kind of a big deal. This ain't no place for rookies though. Does the administrator even know you're here?"

"The who?" Kimi questioned. "Look, dude, some ninja-like guy named Snake sent us here somehow but we need to go home so if you could just-"

At that moment, he was shot and killed in an instant.

"The enemy has taken our intelligence," a loud, female voice announced over a loudspeaker.

"Hey, I get it! This is a capture the flag sort of game!" Josh said. A man wearing a red tuxedo and mask held a blue briefcase as he ran from our teammates.

"Let's get him then!" I shouted. Josh pulled out and reloaded his gun. He ran over and shot the man twice, which killed him.

"The enemy has dropped our intelligence," the voice said.

"Let me try!" Kimi said, grabbing the knife from my back pocket and running away. I was about to chase after her when I saw something I never thought I would see. Before my eyes, Xavier was struck by a rocket launcher and mutilated. Blood and body parts flew about. I instantly vomited and Josh fell silent.

"The intelligence has returned to our base," the voice announced.

"Hey!" I cried, turning to a man in red with a large gray helmet who held a rocket launcher close to him. "What the hell, man? You just killed my friend!"

"That's war, maggot!" he replied. He pointed the rocket launcher at me, I closed my eyes in fear but I felt nothing. I opened my eyes to see him lying dead in a pool of his own blood. Kimi stood behind him with Josh's knife in her hand.

"Hey, guys," Xavier said, walking up from behind me. "I'm back. This is one gory game, huh?"

"You don't say," I scoffed. "Come on, guys! As soon as we beat this game, we can move on!"

We ran down a flight of stairs and into a room where our briefcase was. Four other characters were in the room. One with a wrench and a hardhat, the Scout, a huge guy with a gun that was twice Kimi's size, and a black Scotsman who was wearing an eye-patch over one eye and drinking a bottle of beer. Each one gave us a funny look.

"What're y'all doin' here on 2Fort?" the one with the wrench asked with a southern accent.

"Long story," I said. "When's this game over?"

"Game? Over?" the Scout laughed. "This is definitely not a game, and it ain't over till we get the other team's briefcase!"

"Hey, wait," I said, looking around. "Where'd Kimi run off to?"

"This is why you don't bring children to a war zone," I heard someone mumble.

"Xavier, did you see where Kimi went?" I asked, turning to him.

"She said something about taking the other team's briefcase so we could hurry up and go home," he said simply. "She still has that knife though. She'll be fine."

"Why didn't you stop her?" I growled, grabbing Josh's gun and leaving the room.

_That kid is going to be the death of me_, I thought.


	7. TF2- You lose!

"Kimi!" I called, walking through the halls. It was mysteriously quiet. Only a few enemies were around. I looked around cautiously. This game was much more dangerous than the last one we were in. It was only a matter of time before someone got killed.

As I reached the other team's base, I still found no signs of my little sister. The old wooden floor cracked loudly with every step I took.

"Stop!" I heard a high-pitched voice cry. "Let me go!"

I ran upstairs to see that Kimi was gone. I ran down into the enemy intelligence room and about seven guns pointed right at me. I quickly spotted Kimi, who was shaken with fear. A red Spy held a knife to her throat.

"L-look, I mean you guys n-no harm..." I shook. Kimi silently began to cry. "J-just give me my little sister back."

"So this kid belongs to you," a red Scout chuckled. "You ain't gettin' her back alive until we get your team's intelligence. So either hand it over, or we'll take it from you, along with this kid's life."

"Scott, don't let them kill me!"

"I..." I could hardly speak. "This is low. I thought you were men."

"But you want us to spare the little one's life, non?" the Spy asked with a French accent, putting his knife closer to her throat.

I began to lunge forward in a crazed attempt to strangle each one of them but was halted by the immediate cocking of weapons.

"O-okay," I sighed. "I'll get it for you. Just don't lay a finger on Kimi."

I turned around and walked shamefully back to the base, not knowing how everyone would take the bad news.

"Hey, bro," Josh greeted as I returned to the intelligence room. "Where's Kimi?"

All eyes were suddenly on me. I looked down.

"She's okay, isn't she?" Xavier questioned.

"They're holding her hostage and they want us to hand over the intelligence," I replied. The room instantly filled with the protests of our teammates.

"Hell no!" said the one with the wrench and hardhat. "We're not handin' over our briefcase just so they can set some lil' kid free. This isn't day-care. You shoulda left her at home."

"Look, it's not my fault she didn't listen to me and decided to tag along. I'm not going to let my little sister lose her last life knowing that I could help!"

"Scott," Xavier said. "That would make us lose. We haven't lost yet, and we don't know what happens if we do."

"I don't care," I said. "Even if it kills all four of us, I'd at least want to go knowing I tried to save her."

I walked over to the briefcase. The Scout quickly grabbed it and held it close to him.

"Are you freakin' nuts?" He snapped.

"Look, when you guys die, you respawn, right?" I asked. "If my sister dies, she will not respawn. She has one life left and I'm not going to let her lose it!"

I pointed Josh's gun at Scout. I heard the click of many more and turned to see them pointed at me.

"I don't think you wanna do that," Scout grinned. "If a single one of your sissy bullets does so much as touch me, the rest of us are willin' to turn on you too."

I didn't put the gun down.

"Scott, put that down, you stupid bastard," Josh sighed.

I looked around the room. No one had released or lowered their weapons. I knew I didn't stand a chance against them. I dropped the gun and fell to my knees. I looked up at the Scout.

"Please!" I cried. "I'll do anything. Just help me this one time! I know we just met today but if you can find it in your heart to save a little girl-"

"Quit your begging," he snorted. "I'm guardin' this thing with my life!"

Tears began to run down my cheeks. They made small tapping noises as they hit the ground.

"Look, I know that protecting your briefcase is important to you guys, but can you really be that heartless?" Josh questioned. Xavier came over to me and patted me on the back.

"Look, man, I know you care about her. I do too," he said. His voice turned to a whisper and he inched closer to me. "When I say go, you take that case from him and run."

I stood up and grabbed Josh's gun, placing it in my pocket. Xavier told Josh the plan and then looked at me.

"Okay," I said to the Scout. "You win."

He loosened his grip on the case but did not release it.

"That's more like it," he mumbled. "What made you change your mind?"

"I know how important this game is to you and I'm not going to let my selfishness get in your way," I said simply.

"Well, if you really-"

"GO!" Xavier cried. I quickly snatched the case from Scout, Grabbed Xavier's hand as he grabbed Josh's and ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

A plethora of guns fired behind us as we ran. Xavier was shot in the back of the head and immediately fell to his death. I grabbed Josh's hand and continued to run.

"Scott, Xavier just-"

"I know, Josh!" I replied. "He'll respawn. He has another life left!"

We ran into the enemy's base and I fearfully held the case close to me as Josh grabbed his gun and knife from me to go back and fight our teammates.

"He actually did it!" the red Scout laughed. "Well, hand it over!"

I looked at Kimi who pleaded with her voluminous blue eyes. I handed it to him and sighed. The Spy let Kimi go, shoving her to me.

Kimi held onto my legs and began to sob.

"A-are you hurt?" I asked. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"I'm sorry, big brother," she whimpered. "From now on, I-I'll listen to you no matter what."

"You've failed!" a voice announced over the loudspeaker. I held onto Kimi and prepared for the worst as we lost consciousness yet again.


	8. Death?

I awoke on my old, white sofa covered in sweat. The basement was exactly as it always had been. A small lamp, a hoverboard, and my television surrounded me.

"K-Kimi!" I called. "Josh? Xavier?"

Josh walked down the wooden stairs.

"Yo, Scott! That was insane!" Josh exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"I...I guess we're home," I said.

"Dude, where's Xavier and Kimi?" he asked. " You think they're here?"

"O-of course they are," I said shakily with a small chuckle. "Why...why wouldn't they be?"

"Well, we're going to have to go looking for them," he sighed. We walked upstairs and into the living room. He opened the front door. And looked around. I began to search the house.

"Kimi!" I called. "Xavier, are you here?"

"Dude, come look!" Josh called. I rushed over and looked outside. There was nothing. No trees, no grass, no cars, no people. Just dirt and the road. There was no sign of life. There weren't even any houses around. It was a frightening sight, and I began to feel that we weren't going to see Xavier and Kimi again.

"What...what is this?" I gasped.

"Maybe we were gone for a really long time," Josh suggested.

"N-no," I said. " Why is my house the only one here? Where are Kimi and Xavier? How come they're not here too?"

"Scott, do you think..." Josh began. He halted and was unable to finish.

"What?"

"Do you think maybe...maybe we all lost a life because we lost the game? It...would explain why they're gone."

"No, don't say that! They can't be...dead!" I cried.

"But, Scott, look! They both had one life left before we lost the game. Is it just a coincidence that they're both not here?"

"I...I refuse to believe it," I protested.

"Look, you pussy, they're dead. I have almost no doubt about it. If you wanna cry, fine. But we need to find out what's going on. We need to know where everyone is."

"Don't call me a pussy!" I exclaimed, punching him hard in the jaw. He spit out a bit of blood before throwing me to the ground and standing on my stomach.

"What are you going to do about it?" he huffed. " Nothing you do will bring them back, you idiot! We're stuck in...whatever the hell this place is and there's not a thing in the world we can do to change the past! We need to move on, Scott! If anything, we need to figure out where we are! This isn't home and we can't stay here so I suggest we start looking for clues!"

"G-get off of me..." I grunted. He bent down and slapped me before doing so.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing my arm and leading me outside. We walked along the empty road, the sky now a light orange as the sun began to set. Suddenly, we walked into what felt like a wall. It was almost like, an invisible barrier.

"What...is this?" I questioned, pressing hard against the invisible wall. "We can't go any farther!"

"Well, we're going to die here," Josh sighed. "We have no food or water. We're not going to make it, Scott."

I looked down, realizing my fate. We had nowhere to go and no way out of this hell. If only I had never agreed to steal those stupid things. If only I hadn't agreed to use my Xbox to travel to another dimension.

Josh sighed and sat on the empty road. He put his face down into his arms and fell silent. He began to shake slightly.

"Dude...are you crying?" I asked. He shook his head but did not look up. I heard him sob. _Who's the pussy now?, _I thought with a chuckle. "C'mon, Josh, you can't sit here for the rest of your life and cry. You've got me and I have you. Isn't that all that matters?"

He shook his head again and looked up with a sniffle, wiping his eyes.

"Scott, there's something I think I should tell you."

"What?"

"About Xavier...he...um, well..."

At that moment, we heard a faint jingle. Almost like a telephone. Suddenly, a bright light pointed in front of us and a redheaded fairy appeared. Her dress was made from a red rose and she had bright blue eyes. She was roughly a foot tall and her finger and toenails were painted blue.

"Scott, Josh," she said. "I'm Momo. I am a part of this game's code and I can help you."

"G-game?" Josh gasped. "We're still in the game?"

"Yes," Momo replied. "The chips are still installed into your minds. You are both still in the game. I've been watching you guys throughout your journey and...man you're noobs!"

"Momo, where are Xavier and Kimi?" I asked.

"Ah, your friend and sister," she said. She pointed to the sky, then to the ground.

"What? Yes, I get it, we're still in the game so everything's fake." I replied. Momo shook her head.

"They _are_ the game now."

"What do you mean?" I questioned, quite taken aback.

"I mean..." she sighed. "Their biological makeup has been reduced to nothing but a code. They are everything now. They are the ground you're standing on and even part of me."

"Momo," I said. "Can we bring them back?"

"Yes...it is possible. Video game deaths are nothing like dying in real life. If you want to see them, you will both have to die as well. Otherwise, you'll never see them again. Maybe from there...I can help you all out."

"Hell no!" Josh protested. "Scott and I both have a life left and we're not going to lose it because Xavier and Kimi couldn't stay alive."

"Okay, I won't make you do anything," she said. "I'll let you two talk it over. Come back and see me when you've decided."

Josh and I slowly proceeded toward my house in silence. I was sure Josh wouldn't willingly agree to die for the sake of his best friend and my sister. No matter how much he wanted them back, his life was more important.

"Josh," I said, walking inside and closing the door behind him. "We're going to have to do it..."

"I said no. Just leave it at that."

"Look, Josh, you've always been a selfish, sick bastard and a bad friend. But I know you could find it in your heart to-"

"Sorry, bro. No can do."

"So you'd rather stay here alone? Because I'm going."

I walked into my kitchen and took the sharpest knife from the drawer.

"You wouldn't," he laughed. I hesitantly pointed the blade at my chest.

"I'm not afraid to die. So take a knife, I'm not going alone."

"Fine," he said, coming over and taking a knife from the drawer. He immediately stabbed me in the stomach. I doubled over and screamed in pain. "I'll send you to hell, Scott. I love you, bro, but I'm not going to die today."

I instantly vomited blood before standing back up and stabbing him in the eye. As I was about to strike him again, he shoved me back and struck me directly in the back. I felt the blood run down as my eyes closed.

I awoke on my old, white sofa covered in sweat. The basement was exactly as it always had been. A small lamp, a hoverboard, and my television surrounded me.

Why was I still alive?


End file.
